On Friday, February 16th, qualifying students from Brooklyn’s Charles O. Dewey Middle School will depart for Madrid to begin their educational tour of Spain. The students, who had to earn their way on to the trip, have been studying various aspects of Spanish society for months in preparation for the trip. The group tour, which was arranged with the help of Fourwinds Tours & Travel, will start in Spain’s capital city of Madrid, then branch out to several other cities.
After an overnight flight to Madrid, students will spend their first morning in Europe interacting with Spanish schoolkids at IES Cardenal Cisneros. Following a tour of Madrid that evening, the group will depart the next morning for Cordoba. From the former capital of Islamic Spain, the trip continues on to Seville, where the students will learn about bullfighting and explore the capital of Andalusia. After a brief jaunt in Malaga, the school group heads to Granada, where they will take in a flamenco exhibition. The students will then get the opportunity to visit the Alhambra Palace and Generalife Gardens, beautiful examples of medieval Arab workmanship. And finally, the group will circle back to Madrid, where they will visit the world famous El Prado Museum and get a final chance to explore the city.
In preparation for this incredible tour of Spain, the participating students intensively studied Spanish history, government and culture. To get an in-depth perspective on Spain’s government and place within global politics, MS 136 students took a field trip to the United Nations. There, they were able to tour the facilities where delegates from all over the world meet to discuss important matters.
The middle school students also learned about flamenco from Mr. Perdomo, who volunteered to play flamenco guitar music for the class. The teachers were also able to incorporate science lessons into the preparation, as the pupils studied international issues like overfishing and it effects on the food chain. Finally, the students were taken on another field trip, this time to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where they viewed the works of famous artists from Spain.
While admittedly at times it required exceptional focus, this advance study laid a foundation of knowledge that will provide these students with some context to better appreciate what they will experience in Spain. Plus, with the trip as motivation, the middle schoolers were especially diligent in their efforts. In the end, all that hard work will pay off, as the students depart from JFK International and embark on their Spanish adventure.